Amanda Russo and Emily Wenzel, both from Garden City High School’s graduating Class of 2006, recently faced off collegiately for the final time. The girls were teammates on the high school’s 2005 NYS Class A Championship Team, which went undefeated at 23 and 0.
Both girls played all four seasons while at college and excelled academically in competitive educational environments. Amanda attends Tufts University in Massachusetts and Emily attends Wesleyan College in Connecticut. Their schools belong to the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), which plays arguably the most competitive collegiate field hockey in the nation.
Amanda and Emily led their teams to success with knowledge and skill honed growing up in Garden City. Their dedication to the game and thoughtfulness paid off, as both were elected captains by their peers. Under their leadership, both squads improved tremendously over their tenures.
During games, Amanda and Emily always drew the most difficult team assignments; Amanda was asked to be the offensive playmaker and scorer, while Emily had the task of stopping the most effective offensive player. The two of them performed with distinction and often found themselves battling each other during contests.